Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 59 I am not guilty!

No one spoke in the hall anymore, only the faint sound of heavy breathing could be heard.

The eunuch who was serving in front of the emperor hurried down, took the memorial, and handed it to Zhu Yuanzhang respectfully.

Old Zhu did not reach out to take it, but said, "Let everyone see it."

The eunuch then went down again and handed the memorial to a minister.

Then they circulated it one by one.

"My dear ministers, what do you think about this matter?"

After all the ministers had seen almost everything, Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

The ministers all lowered their heads and exchanged glances. Founding Duke Chang Sheng stepped forward and said, "He is slandering us. His words are full of nonsense. I ask Your Majesty to punish him."

Wang Bi, Marquis of Dingyuan, also said: "When you lead troops outside, it is inevitable that your soldiers will commit illegal acts."

"If this is a crime, then no one in the Ming Dynasty would dare to lead an army."

"How can it be so absurd?"

"I believe that Duke Liang has made great contributions to the country and the Ming Dynasty. Even if he has made mistakes, they are not enough to outweigh his merits."

Another military officer and nobleman stepped forward and said, "If you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext."

"Most of the crimes listed above against the Duke of Liang have already been punished by His Majesty's decree."

"Today, you are bringing up the old matter again, but I don't know what your intention is?"

A military officer and nobleman stood up for justice and said, "It's just some trivial matters, but they want to kill the three clans of the Duke of Liang. How can they be so cruel? How can they be human?"

The civil servant stood there motionless: "Why would His Royal Highness the King of Wu believe what the King of Yan said?"

"It's because he knows very well that what the King of Yan said may be false, but the crime committed by the Duke of Liang is definitely not false."

He raised his voice, and the echo resonated back and forth in the hall.

"Your Highness the King of Wu acted decisively and led the Jinyiwei to surround his residence and arrest him. Today, he was brought here to plead guilty."

"I used the excuse of being loyal and filial to His Majesty, but in reality I was doing it to protect Duke Liang."

"I hope this will help Duke Liang get away with this."

"The Duke of Liang's appearance of asking for forgiveness is the best proof of this."

"As a minister of state, I have received Your Majesty's great favor and have the responsibility to give you honest advice."

"Duke Lan Yu of Liang has violated the law, and I have no choice but to remonstrate with him."

"The Great Ming Law is above all else. Even if Duke Lan Yu of Liang has made great contributions, it cannot cover up his mistakes."

"I ask your Majesty to order the execution of Duke Lan Yu of Liang to rectify the law."

As soon as he finished speaking, another civil servant stepped out.

"I also want to report to Duke Lan Yu of Liang."

"Everything mentioned in this memorial is true. If we do not severely punish these criminals, how can the Ming Dynasty explain itself to the people of the world?"

Fang Xiaoru and Huang Zicheng looked at each other and felt that the time was almost ripe, so they immediately followed up with their advice: "Duke Lan Yu of Liang is arrogant because of his favor. What he says and does is neither polite nor virtuous like a minister."

"After His Royal Highness the King of Wu arrested him yesterday, the people in the capital all applauded when they heard about it. This shows the people's support for him."

"Your Majesty is wise and wise in governing. You will not allow anyone to be wronged or die unjustly."

"Duke Lan Yu of Liang has committed numerous crimes."

"Your Highness the King of Wu knew that his actions were extremely treasonous, so he arrested him immediately after hearing what the King of Yan said."

"In order to avoid the main issue and cover up his crime."

"Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly!"

Huang Zicheng also stood up and said, "Your Majesty, Duke Lan Yu of Liang is rampant and bullying the people. He is lawless and disregards the emperor. I have also heard about this."

"The crimes listed in this memorial are all appalling."

"Even if the old story is brought up again, the evidence is irrefutable."

"I'm afraid that the things that Duke Lan Yu of Liang has done are far more than these."

"He has adopted many sons, formed cliques and pursued selfish interests, and his evil ambitions are obvious."

"I ask Your Majesty to order the officials to investigate and then convict him."

With the two of them taking the lead, the civil servants no longer hesitated.

They all offered their advice to Lan Yu.

The military generals and nobles responded sharply and defended him.

The atmosphere in the hall became tense again.

"Lan Yu should be handed over to the Censorate or the Dali Temple for interrogation. We will know if he is guilty or not once we ask him."

"Is there any reason in the world to interrogate and detain an innocent and meritorious official?"

"If the Duke of Liang is truly innocent, why should he be afraid of being interrogated by the court?" "Bullshit, the Duke of Liang is innocent, how can he be humiliated at will?"

"If you are upright, you have nothing to fear. If you are so afraid of being investigated by the authorities, are you guilty?"

"Nonsense! Do you want me to lock you up first and then check your family to see if you have done anything illegal? Are you willing?"

……

"Cough, cough, cough!"

The two sides quarreled for a long time. Old Zhu coughed lightly and the hall suddenly became quiet.

Old Zhu's eyes slowly swept from below, and finally landed on Zhu Di, and said: "Old Fourth, this matter started because of you, you tell me first, is the Duke of Liang guilty or not guilty?"

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Liang is guilty and his crime is unforgivable!"

Zhu Di said: "I, your son, am pretending to convey your order to relieve your father's worries."

"I, your son, have also heard about Lan Yu's rebellious deeds in Beiping."

"Although it is just a folk rumor and cannot be fully believed, it may not be without reason."

"I think that since Lan Yu has been arrested, we can ask the three judicial officials to try him together."

"If there is no real evidence, it is a good opportunity to make it known to the world, clear up the misunderstanding and restore his innocence."

"If we arrest people and release them without trial, the people will inevitably mistakenly think that the court is deliberately shielding them."

"It is also a heavy blow to the reputation of the imperial court."

"It's better to investigate this thoroughly."

He didn't dare to mention Lao Zhu in order to exonerate himself.

But now, as for Shen Lanyu, there is no pressure at all.

After all, it was common knowledge that Zhu Di and Lan Yu were not on good terms.

There is no need to hide it.

Old Zhu said calmly: "Really?"

Then he turned his eyes to the side and said, "King Qin, King Jin, what do you two think?"

The two did not expect that Lao Zhu would suddenly ask them. They had been thinking of watching the show, but were suddenly shocked at this moment.

"Your son...Your son thinks what your fourth brother said is not without reason." Qin Wang Zhu Chong said: "Whether Lan Yu of Liang is guilty or not, we will know it after an investigation."

"The court is a mirror hanging high, with my father above and all the officials below, all under the watchful eyes of the public. They will never wrongly accuse any good person, nor will they let any bad person go."

Jin Wang Zhu Gang said: "I also agree with what my second brother said."

The expression on Old Zhu's face remained unchanged, as calm as a well, showing no emotion. He then asked, "Hu'er, you caught Lan Yu, what do you think?"

Zhu Yunhuan cupped his hands and said, "What the three uncles said makes sense."

"Whether he is loyal or treacherous, guilty or innocent, we will know it after investigation and trial."

"But my grandson heard that the Duke of Liang and the civil officials in the court had many disagreements."

"As soon as my grandson brought him to the mansion yesterday, three judicial officials came to the door overnight to demand the prisoner."

"There may be other reasons, but it is enough to show that it is difficult for the three judicial organs to handle the case impartially."

"The Duke of Liang has made great contributions to the Ming army and has great prestige. He should be convicted quickly and not kept in jail for a long time, so as not to destabilize the Ming army."

"My grandson has brought someone here today."

"My grandson thinks that if you want to put the Duke of Liang on trial, you might as well have him tried in front of the emperor in front of all the civil and military officials."

"If we can get a result early, it will also help to reassure the generals and ministers of the Ming Dynasty."

Huang Zicheng and Fang Xiaoru exchanged a quick and casual glance.

Neither of them had expected that ordering the three judicial officials to come to the house to ask for Lan Yu last night would now become Zhu Yunheng's reason for refusing to let the three judicial officials interrogate Lan Yu.

It's not a pleasant feeling to shoot yourself in the foot.

However, Zhu Yunhuan did not stop the interrogation of Lan Yu, which surprised them a little.

What exactly is the other party planning?

This boy is still so young and acts so rashly.

But sometimes, it gives people a feeling of being extremely shrewd and calculating.

"Okay!" Old Zhu responded, "Then let's come and try it ourselves today."

His eyes were as fast as lightning, suddenly shooting towards Lan Yu and Fu Ye who were kneeling on the ground.

"Lan Yu, do you admit your guilt?"

Lan Yu slowly raised his head and looked at Old Zhu: "Your Majesty, I am innocent and I know nothing of my crime."

(End of this chapter)